DSCC: Celebrating African American Art: The Biggs Announces The Winner Of The Public Voice Award

Wilmington DE

13 May, 2022

2:34 PM

Description

Press release from Delaware State Chamber of Commerce: May 6, 2022 The Biggs Museum of American Art is nearing the end of the juried exhibition Visions & Voices, which was designed to highlight the work of African American artists from the Mid-Atlantic region through visual art media including, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, craft, fiber, and video. From the title of the exhibition, "Visions" represented the physical artwork, while "Voices" represented the amplification of voices which have been historically underrepresented in the art community. Instead of the typical museum practice of interpreting the works, the Biggs quietly took the back seat to allow the artists to tell their stories, in their voices, in ways that were meaningful to them. With so many powerful themes represented in the body of work, the Biggs saw this as an opportunity to thoughtfully expand its collection in a way that was important and impactful to the community. Following the theme of community listening, the museum collected the public's feedback on their favorite artwork through the duration of this exhibition. In an unprecedented move, a new addition to the permanent collection was chosen from a field of finalists entirely by public vote, in what was deemed the Public Voice Award. Once the votes were tallied, collagist Melissa Sutherland Moss of Brooklyn, NY was named the winning artist for her piece In Between the Two. Melissa Sutherland Moss is an interdisciplinary artist working across collage, assemblage, installation and social engagement. Through a hybrid of mediums, her practice is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of African and Caribbean diasporas within contemporary media. Today, she expands upon an immersive body of work that evokes the fragility and diversity within the black community. The project celebrates the lost, the forgotten and highlights the people who are dedicated to being change agents within the diaspora. Melissa's work has been exhibited at The Biggs Museum of American Art and supported by residencies including ArtCrawl Harlem, Chrysalis Institute for Emerging Artists, and The Alliance of Artist Communities. She is currently a recipient of the Zea Mays Printmaking mentorship program. Melissa's work has been written about in several publications, including Black Enterprise, Forbes, Essence, and Refinery 29. She currently is an MFA candidate at the Maryland Institute College of Art and serves as a Director of Creative Innovation & Ideation for sk.ArtSpace. The Biggs will be hosting an Artist Talk Featuring Melissa Sutherland Moss on Wednesday, May 18 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. Participants can get an exclusive look at In Between the Two, the work of art selected by the public to be purchased by the Biggs Museum. The artist will lead an exclusive talk about herself, her work, and her winning piece of art. Attendees will also hear from the Curator of Community and Academic Programs, Kristen Matulewicz to give insight into what drew the Biggs to nominate this artwork for its collection.Ticket Prices: Members: $5; Non-Members: $10 Register at BiggsMuseum.org or by calling (302) 674-2111. Now that the Public Voice Award has been selected, the other remaining finalists' works will be released for sale to the public. Stop by to check out these pieces and a variety of other styles and media on view and available to be purchased at the museum through May 21. This press release was produced by Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.